Everton beat Newcastle United at St. James' Park to finish the 2024/25 Premier League campaign on a high, finishing 13th with 48 points.
Curiously, David Moyes has led the Toffees to their best league finish since 2020/21. We're a far cry away from the woes of mid-season, when Sean Dyche was sacked with Goodison Park, in its final year, walking a tenuous line between safety and the drop zone.
David-Moyes
The improvements have been vast. However, Everton still lack that certain something in attack. Indeed, only the relegated teams finished the term with paltrier goalscoring hauls.
A new striker is needed, and Moyes means to bring one in.
Top target urged to sign for Everton
talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino has urged Ipswich Town's Liam Delap to sign for Everton this summer, and that's in spite of interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
This follows a revelation from Fabrizio Romano relating to the ongoing transfer saga, with the journalist confirming Everton's vested interest as they have presented their project to the 22-year-old, willing to meet the striker's £30m release clause.
Cascarino believes Delap could get "lost in the system" at Chelsea or the Red Devils, whereas serving as Everton's star man, and under Moyes' wing at that, could be the right move at this stage of his career.
Liam-Delap
The talkSPORT pundit noted: "He fits a lot of clubs, but he needs to find the club he thinks is best for him. It’s not just, ‘I’ll go to Man United or Chelsea’. There’s something about me with Moyes… He still needs to work on a lot, so go to a manager who can help him become a better player. You can get lost in the system at Chelsea or Man United. We’ve seen younger players go to these clubs and find it really hard to settle, get into the team, and perform to what is expected of them."
Why Everton should sign Liam Delap
Described as a "beast" of a number nine by his Ipswich teammate Jens Cajuste, former Manchester City academy star Delap has thrived in his first year in the Premier League.
Having scored 12 goals from 32 starting appearances for Kieran McKenna's relegated side, he's proved his worth, proved he has what it takes to succeed for a team competing higher up the table.
liam-delap-ipswich-town
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's future is uncertain, at the end of his contract, but potentially penning a new deal, while Armando Broja will return to Chelsea after his unsuccessful loan spell.
Beto, at least, has made gains under Moyes' wing, scoring seven goals from 18 Premier League fixtures since the Scotsman's arrival, but he's inconsistent.
It's pretty clear Delap would be an upgrade, not only more clinical but bearing a physicality and combativeness to align with Moyes' vision.
Prem 24/25 - Liam Delap vs Beto
Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
Goals
Assists
Shots (on target)*
Big chances missed
Touches*
Pass completion
Key passes*
Dribbles*
Duels won*
Data via Sofascore
Delap might have produced a pretty shoddy pass completion rate in the Premier League this season, but then so has Beto. If anything, this indicates his ability to thrive in conditions which might settle in the Hill Dickinson Stadium next term.
He's converting his chances more often than not, and he bears a willingness to get stuck in that has drawn plaudits for the muscular Beto.
Beto's pace and piledriving movements also add a dimension for Moyes, but Delap is capable of bringing his own brand, maybe even surpassing the Bissau-Guinean's ball-carrying ability.
As per FBref, Delap ranks among the top 13% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
While the Ipswich striker wouldn't come cheap, there's a reason why so many Premier League clubs want his signature this summer. This is an opportunity Everton cannot afford to let pass them by, for if he arrives, he will leap right over Beto into the first-choice spot.
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